Classical music — orchestral and opera — has been one of my major interests for most of my life. I'll use this blog to tell about some of the concerts I'm attending and the opportunities to listen to some of them and other good programs on the web.
Andris Nelsons leads the BSO and frequent collaborator Kirill Gerstein in the U.S. premiere of a new concerto by the Spanish composer Francisco Coll. A one-time protégé of composer Thomas Adès, Coll composes music of “great energy and sonic imagination.” Beethoven’s dramatic “Coriolan” Overture begins the program, which ends with the same composer’s Seventh Symphony, a universal favorite bursting with lyricism and exuberance.
Andris Nelsons, conductor Kirill Gerstein, piano
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN “Coriolan” Overture Francisco COLL Piano Concerto (U.S. premiere; BSO co-commission) BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
In a conversation with CRB's Brian McCreath, Kirill Gerstein describes the unique qualities of Francisco Coll's music and, specifically, Piano Concerto, what its challenges are and why those challenges are ultimately so rewarding. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.
Francisco Coll is a painter as well as composer, his creative processes often overlapping to include art works specifically associated with the music he writes. Below is Piano Concerto, a painting created in conjunction with the new concerto performed in this concert.
Courtesy Of The Artist
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Francisco Coll/BSO
Piano Concerto - Francisco Coll
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):
Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Kirill Gerstein,
Andris Nelsons leads the BSO and frequent collaborator Kirill Gerstein in the U.S. premiere of a new concerto by the Spanish composer Francisco Coll. Co-commissioned by the BSO with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the concerto was premiered by Gerstein and the orchestra under Simon Rattle’s direction in spring 2026. Coll’s music is performed by the major orchestras of Europe. A one-time protégé of composer Thomas Adès, he composes music of great energy and sonic imagination. Works of Beethoven begin and end the program: his dramatic Coriolan Overture and the Seventh Symphony, a universal favorite bursting with lyricism and exuberance.
The Russian-born Sofia Gubaidulina was composing her Prologue, a BSO co-commission with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, when she passed away in 2025. Eminent Russian composer Elena Firsova has completed it for performance. Also on the program is Mahler’s Seventh Symphony, the only Mahler symphony Andris Nelsons has yet to conduct with the BSO.
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Sofia GUBAIDULINA/Elena FIRSOVA Prologue for orchestra (Posthumous world premiere; BSO co-commission) Gustav MAHLER Symphony No. 7
In an interview with CRB's Brian McCreath, BSO Concertmaster Nathan Cole describes how he and the orchestra prepare for a world premiere, especially when it expresses the unique musical voice of composer Sofia Gubaidulina, as well as the particular complications of performing Mahler's Symphony No. 7. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):
Brian McCreathI'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Nathan Cole, the Concertmaster of the Boston Symphony.
One of the great composers of the past century, the Russian-born Sofia Gubaidulina infused her intricate, penetrating music with deep spirituality. A frequent collaborator with the BSO and Andris Nelsons, she was composing her Prolog, a BSO co-commission with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, when she died; the eminent Russian composer Elena Firsova has completed it for performance. Gustav Mahler’s Seventh Symphony, an intense orchestral journey with moments of sardonic humor, begins somberly and ends in glorious triumph. The Seventh is the only Mahler symphony Andris Nelsons has yet to conduct with the BSO.
Commission Support
GUBAIDULINA/Elena FIRSOVA Prolog for orchestra Prolog for orchestra was co-commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, Music Director through the generous support of the New Works Fund established by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and by the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons, Gewandhauskapellmeister.
See, especially, the program notes accessible via the arrows which follow the titles. I've skimmed them, and it seems the Gubaidulina/Firsova could be challenging The Mahler should be more conventional.
In an encore broadcast, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, joined by soprano Nikola Hillebrand, depict a child's view of heaven in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. Before that, the Lorelei Ensemble brings Debussy’s impressionist Nocturnesto life.
Andris Nelsons, conductor Nikola Hillebrand, soprano Lorelei Ensemble Beth Willer, artistic director
Claude DEBUSSY Nocturnes Gustav MAHLER Symphony No. 4
This concert was originally broadcast on October 4th, 2025, and is not available on demand.
In the second part of a three-part interview, BSO Concertmaster Nathan Cole describes the musical and technical challenges of the violin solo in Mahler's Symphony No. 4. To listen, use the player and read the transcript below.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
Brian McCreath The second week of the season, as I mentioned, features Mahler's Fourth Symphony, a huge solo in this as well, but challenging in a very, very different way
The BSO begins the exploration of Boston in 1900 with two pieces that were composed at the same time Symphony Hall was being built.
Influenced by impressionist painting and finished in 1899, Debussy’s three contrasting Nocturnes — Nuages (“Clouds”), Fêtes (“Holidays”), and Sirènes (“Sirens”) — paint magnificently colorful musical scenes, with Boston’s premier all-women vocal group the Lorelei Ensemble joining the orchestra in the haunting final movement.
Composed in 1900, Mahler's Symphony No. 4 lives on the sunnier side of his repertoire, but nonetheless vacillates between morbid and triumphant, seductive and serene. The final movement features solo soprano in a beguiling setting of the folk poem “Heavenly Life."
Go there for the arrows that link the performer bios and program notes, which are still available.
In an encore broadcast, Domingo Hindoyan returns to Symphony Hall to lead the BSO in Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On The Town and Copland’s Third Symphony, widely considered the "greatest American symphony." Acclaimed pianist Yuja Wang joins as the soloist in Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto.
Domingo Hindoyan, conductor Yuja Wang, piano
Leonard BERNSTEIN Three Dance Episodes from On The Town Sergei PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 2 Aaron COPLAND Symphony No. 3
This concert was originally broadcast on October 25th, 2025, and is not available on demand.
Conductor Domingo Hindoyan talks with CRB's Brian McCreath about the genesis of this program, his interpretation of Bernstein's and Copland's work, and his positions at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Opera.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):
Brian McCreathI'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Domingo Hindoyan, who's here with the Boston Symphony for the second time. And Mr. Hindoyan
Scintillating pianist Yuja Wang joins returning conductor Domingo Hindoyan and the BSO in Sergei Prokofiev’s technically challenging Piano Concerto No. 2, a piece that combines the composer’s sardonic humor with his gift for soaring melody. Two American works from the 1940s bracket the concerto. Leonard Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from his 1944 musical On the Town features music referencing such hits as “New York, New York” and the wistful “Lonely Town.” Aaron Copland’s Third Symphony, premiered by the BSO in 1946, includes the uplifting “Fanfare for the Common Man.”
In an encore broadcast, the Boston Symphony Orchestra launches its 2025-2026 season with the music of gods and heroes, conducted by Music Director Andris Nelsons. This program pairs Mozart’s final symphony—No. 41, which earned the name Jupiter in honor of its unprecedented ambition and majesty—with Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, or, A Hero's Life, a work of intensely personal emotion and orchestral virtuosity.
Andris Nelsons, conductor
W.A. MOZART Symphony No. 41, Jupiter Richard STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life)
This concert was originally broadcast on September 27th, 2025, and is not available on demand.
In the first of a three-part interview, BSO Concertmaster Nathan Cole describes his experience of the 2025 Tanglewood season and the challenges of the solo violin part of Strauss's Ein Heldenleben. To listen, use the player above.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:
Brian McCreathI'm Brian McCreath from WCRB at Symphony Hall with Nathan Cole, the 11th Concertmaster of the Boston Symphony.
Symphony No. 41, Jupiter, Mozart's last symphony, represents the pinnacle of Classical-era symphonic writing, with luminous orchestration and bright tunefulness that are so classically Mozart. Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben is a bold, autobiographical tone poem, weaving together six stories while echoing themes from his greatest works.
There doesn't seem to be a note for the Mozart symphony (at least I didn't find it) but the one for "Ein Heldenleben" is quite extensive and informative.
I'm not a big fan of Strauss, but I consider his music okay, and the Mozart is great.
Thomas Wilkins conducts the first BSO performance of Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 2, with soloist and Avery Fisher Career Grant Winner Randall Goosby, in his Tanglewood debut. The program also includes Bernstein’s life-affirming Chichester Psalms with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and boy soprano Edward Njuguna, and Dvořák’s songful Symphony No. 8.
Thomas Wilkins, conductor Randall Goosby, Violin Edward Njuguna, boy soprano Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Leonard BERNSTEIN Chichester Psalms Florence PRICE Violin Concerto No. 2 Camille SAINT-SAËNS Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, for violin and orchestra Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8
In a conversation with CRB's Brian McCreath, Thomas Wilkins describes the magnetism of Dvořák's music and what Florence Price's works have brought to the conversation in orchestral music, as well the qualities he sees in Randall Goosby's playing and Bernstein's "reverence to the wildness" in his Chichester Psalms. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.
TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):
Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at the Koussevitzky Music Shed with Thomas Wilkins, the conductor
The Dvořák is probably the most familiar, followed by the Saint-Saëns. The BSO has performed the Bernstein piece a couple of times in recent years, and the Price is a first for them. Florence Price's music seems generally to be interesting and not challenging to listen to. So enjoy.
This is the next to last weekend of the BSO's Tanglewood seaso I'm sorry I forgot to post yesterday. They did Appalachian Spring and Beethoven's Seventh Symphony while I was listening to the Red Sox losing in Pittsburgh.
In an encore broadcast from 2025, John Williams’ Film Night returns with a fabulous program of film music highlights specially curated by Maestro Williams himself and featuring Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops. It’s a special evening of magical music that you won’t want to miss!
Boston Pops Orchestra John Williams, curator Keith Lockhart, conductor Alexandre Lecarme, cello *
Film Night! an all-John WILLIAMS program "Flight to Neverland," from Hook Suite from Far and Away "Sayuri's Theme," from Memoirs of a Geisha * "Out to Sea" and "Shark Cage Fugue," from Jaws Symphonic Suite from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial "Superman March" from Superman Celebrating Indiana Jones Dear Basketball "Adventures of Han," "Princess Leia's Theme," and "Throne Room," and "Finale" from Star Wars "Yoda's Theme" and "Imperial March," from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
In an interview with CRB's Brian McCreath, Marin Alsop reflects on her time as a student at the Tanglewood Music Center, studying with Leonard Bernstein, and what Mahler's Fifth Symphony means for young musicians today. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.
TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):
Brian McCreath You'll be returning
If you read the fine print, you see that this is a rebroadcast of a concert from last summer, which is a little bit surprising since this evening's live concert is what the BSO calls "Maestro of the Movies," which they describe thus:
Maestro of the Movies: A Tribute to John Williams is the ultimate concert celebration of the man who truly has composed the soundtrack to our lives. With selections from his most iconic scores – Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Superman, Lincoln and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Maestro of the Movies also features more than fifty minutes of specially edited scenes and clips from John Williams’ best-loved films, projected in HD and in sync to his spectacular music. This loving tribute to the greatest musical storyteller of our time is feast for the eyes and the ears!
The Boston Pops will be conducted by Ken-David Masur.
Tanglewood Music Center alum Marin Alsop leads the TMCO in Bruch’s First Violin Concerto, with soloist Ray Chen making his Tanglewood debut, as well as Anna Clyne’s Masquerade and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra Marin Alsop, conductor Ray Chen, violin
Anna CLYNE Masquerade Max BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 Gustav MAHLER Symphony No. 5
I'll be listening to the Red Sox again this evening (Saturday), but the Pops concert of John Williams' music should be very pleasant. Sunday looks good too.
This is the site for schedules, online ticket purchases, notes about works to be performed, information about various events including the Pops and Tanglewood seasons, online purchases of Symphony recordings and other merchandise, information about Symphony Hall, and more.
they broadcast and stream Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts, live performances in their studios, and concerts that they have recorded elsewhere, as well as commercial recordings
they broadcast and stream the Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinees and their own "Sunday Night at the Opera," recorded concerts by orchestras in other cities, as well as commercial recordings
located in Colorado Springs, CO — they broadcast and stream locally produced programming, including recordings of concerts by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, as well as other orchestras around the country, the Met and commercial recordings
they do remarkably well on a shoestring budget — send a contribution if you can afford it
ABC Classic FM — www.abc.net.au/classic/
all classical
Australian broadcaster — also streams their programs
